Rotary engine



Patented Dec. 6, I898.

D. M. BEARING.

ROTARY ENGINE.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

No. 6l5,664. Patented D60. 6, I898 n. m. BEARING.

ROTARY ENGINE.

I (Application filed Apr. 22, 1697.

M sheets-Sheet 2.

NITED STATES DAVID M. DEARING, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,664, dated December6, 1898.

Application filed April 22, 1897.

T0 to whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID M. DEARING, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at J ackson, in the county ofJackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to'make and usethe same.

This invention relates to engines, and more especially to that classthereof known as concentric piston and the object of the same is toeffect certain improvements in machines of this character.

To this end the invention consists in the construction, and arrangementof parts set forth below and as illustrated in the accom panyingdrawings, wherein Figure l is a side elevation of this machine.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line P P of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is asimilar vertical section on line z a of Fig. 2 and at right angles tothe section of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are inside elevations of the leftand right casing-plates, respectively. Fig. 6 is an elevation of theswitch-plate in the throttle-valve. Fig. 7 is a section showing theoperation of the automatic cut-off. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of aportion of the rim. Figs. 9 and 10 are sectional details taken on thelines 00 m and 1 'y respectively, in Figs. at and 5, showing the solidand grooved cam in one casing-plate in which the cut-off works. Fig. 11is a crosssection through the rim, casing, and one edge of the core,showing the operation of the piston.

Referring to said drawings by referencenumbers, 5 designates the bed orframework, constituting a support for the entire motor, preferablyshaped at its ends to receive the octagonal extremities 6 of the shaft6, as best seen in Fig. 1, so as to prevent the rotation of said shaftand secure a perfect and stationary fastening thereof in place.

11 is the inlet steam-pipe, leading to one end-of the shaft and thenthroughout half its length, and 8 is the outlet leading out the otherend thereof.

The numeral 6 designates the core, here shown as forming an integralpart of the shaft and located at its center, and the outer Serial No.633,324. (No model.)

edge of this core is preferably struck on an inward curve orsemicircular groove. The inlet 11 communicates with one or more pipes 7,leading through the shaft 6? and thence outward,as at 7 ,within the bodyof the core 6, as seen in Fig. 3. Theoutlet 8 communicates atits innerend with several radial pipes 8, also within the body of the core, butout of communication with the openings '7, and the outer ends of thesepipes open into the grooved periphery of the core at suitable points, asseen in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and according to the number ofsteam-chambers in the rim, as will be understood.

The numeral 9 designates the rim, here made ring-shaped and of a size tofit closely around the core, and its inner face is struck on an inwardcurve, so as to form a semicircular rib 9, adapted to fit the peripheralgroove in the outer edge of the core, while 'at suitable points in thisrib pockets 9 are, formed, which pockets when in communication with thesteam-passages 7 b constitute steam-chambers, as usual. These pocketsare elongated so as to consume nearly the entire inner face of thering-shaped rim, and the elongated semicircular pockets 9 therefore forman internal groove, interrupted by inwardly-projecting ribs 9, theforward faces of which are fiat, as seen in Fig. 2, while their radialrear faces are rounded longitudinally. The outer extremity of eachcylinder-head is transversely rounded (see Fig. 11) so as to lit thelateral curvature of the pockets, and its front face is fiat, While itsrear face is rounded, so as to ride smoothly over the rearward roundedend of each pocket, as will be clear. The dotted lines in Fig. 2indicate how both ends of each pocket might be rounded, as well as bothfaces of the cylinder-head, thus providing for reversing the engine whendesired. thicker axially than the core, for a purpose to appear below,and, if desired, it may be provided with teeth on its periphery, so asto adapt it to actas a cogged driving-wheel, or a belt might be appliedto its smooth outer surface, if preferred.

The numeral 14: designates each casingplate, of which there are two, oneat each side of the core. Each plate has an outwardly-extending hub, onwhich may be s'e- The rim 9 is somewhat cured cogged or smoothdriving-pulleys 12 and 13, the two being of different sizes to adaptthem to the machinery to be driven. The edges of these plates are soshaped as to adapt them to the edges of the rim which project beyond thecore, and bolts 10 hold the plates to the rim, as will be clear. 9 areoilcups which may be set through said hubs, or other and additionaloil-cups might be provided, if preferred.

I have found that the two casing-plates greatly strengthen all parts andguard against any tendency to explosion or dissolution under centrifugalforce when the machine is revolving at a high rate of speed. The factthat these plates have hubs revolving around the shaft also centers themaccurately and prevents the rim from binding and wearing upon the core,and the hubs are useful for carrying differently-sized pulleys andreceiving the oil-cups, as set forth above.

It will be noticed that the pipe 7, which conducts steam from the inlet11 to the engine, is here double, a construction which may be employedwith'the preferred form of my engine, if desired.

15 is a nut having cored therethrough a branch or Y, leading from'thesingle inlet 11 to the double pipe 7, and 16, Fig. 6, is a switch-platemounted for rotation within the shaft 6 and operated by a handle 16.Through this plate are two openings or holes 16, diametrically disposed,so that they can be simultaneously thrown, set, or turned to open bothpipes 7, and in the plate is another opening 16, so placed that it canbe set to open one or the other of the pipes 7. By this construction aproper turning of the handle will admit steam to both pipes, to eitherone, to both or either partially, or to neither, and hence the machineby the use of this form of throttle-valve can be supplied with whateveramount of steam is desired.

The core is provided with a nearly-radial chamber 23,standing parallelwith each radial inlet-pipe 7, and within suchchamber is an expansivespring 24, on'which rests the inner end of a cylinder-head 22,preferably having a fine opening 22 through it into the chamber toprevent'the formation of an air-cushion, as will be understood. In theform shown there are two pipes 7 cylinder-heads adjacent them and inrear thereof. The outletpipes S are set quartering to these inlets, andadditional outlet-pipes 8 are here provided through the body of the coreon the other side of the cylinder-heads from the inlets and parallelwith the chambers 23. However, I do not confine myself to the exactnumber of parts here shown. 4

With the construction thus far described, steam being admitted to, say,one of the chambers 7 flows into the pocket 9 forward of the head 22 andutilizes its impact upon the front end of said pocket, then expandingtherein between such front end and the head 22 it utilizes its expansiveforce to give additional power to the engine. As the rounded end of thepocket strikes the roundedrear face of the head 22 these parts work uponeach other like cam-faces, and the head is forced radially inwardagainst the tension of its spring 24, the fine port 22 preventingaccumulation of air in the chamber 23, and when the rib 9 has passed thetip of the head 22 the latter is again forced outward by its spring andthe action is repeated. While the forward end of each pocket is fillingits rearward end is exhausting through the pipe 8 so as to prevent theformation of a steam-cushion in the rear, and after the pocket 9 hasserved its usefulness and passed the head it exhausts through pipe 8above described. It is obvious that by proper adjustment of thethrottle-plate of Fig. 6 more or less steam may be'admittedto one ormore of the inlet-pipes 7, so as to give the desired speed or power tothe engine. In order to reverse the direction of rotation of thisengine, the opposite face of'thecylinderhead and the other end of thepocket being rounded, as seen indotted lines, steam must be admittedthrough pipe 8 and will pass out to the opposite side of thecylinder-head 22, the pipe 7 now becoming the exhaust and the operationbeing substantially the same, except that the rim rotates in the otherdirection around the core; butwith rotary engines wherein the steamutilizes its expansive power to assist in rotating the rim it will beseen that such expansion cannottake place readily when the inlet-pipe isopen, or else the expansion would set back to the boiler and causeundesirable pulsations of the pressure therein. I have therefore devisedan automatic cut-off which I will nowdcscribe.

Across each inlet-pipe 7 and guided in a suitable opening withinthe coreis a plate 17, havinga hole or port 17 throughits body and provided withrounded ends, as seen best in Fig. 7. The casing-plates 14 are providedwith integral outwardly-projecting rings, as seen in section in Figs.10'and 11, and these rings are provided with grooves on the inner facesof the plates, as at 14 in Figs. 4 and 5, while the grooves are omittedat points opposite, as 'at 14 thus forming a cam-shaped way, as seen inFig. 7, in which the extremities of theplate 17 work. The rise and fallof the several cams therein are so located and timed that when eachpocket 9 has been filled to a point about half way of the length of itsstroke or movement the cut-off closes the inlet-pipe 7 and permits thesteam within the pocket forward of the cylinder-head to expand. Then,again, as soon as the next pocket comes opposite the'inlet and the head22 has been forced outward into position to form. a steam-chamber thenext succeeding cam 14 on the opposite plate 14 forces the cut-off inthe opposite direction and permits the steam to pass into suchsteam-chamber, and this operation iscontinued as the "ma chine runs. Itwill be obvious that by setting the core differently within the plates14 or the latter differently around the core the cams and grooves 14 and14 can be adjusted so that their action on the cut-01f may be timed asdesired in order to give greater expansion or less to the steam withinthe steamchambers, according to the pressure maintained and the speedand power desired.

Various changes in the details of construction might be made withoutdeparting from the principle of my idea. It is obvious that the steammight be admitted and exhausted through other sources than the shaft,that the oil-cups might be dispensed with or differently located, thatpacking may be used where necessary, and that a greater or less numberof steam-chambers than shown may be employed. The reversing mechanismmay necessitate the addition of. certain details, but these will beobvious to any one skilled in this art. The cut-off might be used on theengine Without the cylinder-heads, and thus furnish a certain degree ofexpansion therein, or the heads could be used in certain instancesWithout the cut-ofis. I have called the form described my preferred formsimply because it embodies the principle of expansion as well as that ofimpact of the steam. Obviously in many instances other fluids than steamcould be used to advantage, and hence the device might become a rotaryairengine or gas-engine and the like.

hat I claim as new is 1. In a rotary engine, the combination with ashaft, a support, a core fast on the shaft and having internal radialpassages, chambers in rear thereof, and other passages in rear of thechambers, all opening through the periphery of the core, an inlet and anexhaust communicating respectively with said passages, andcylinder-heads in the chambers; of a rim surrounding the core, said rimand core rotating the one on the other and the core having internalpockets to receive the tips of said heads, a cut-off in each passage,casing-plates at the sides of the core, and cams thereon for operatingsaid cut-offs, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a fixed core having trulyradial passages, an axial inlet communicating with them, substantiallyradial outlets in the core in rear of said passages, an axial exhaustcommunicating with them, chambers in the core between the passages andoutlets and parallel with the former, expansive springs in the chambers,and cylinder-heads resting on the springs and provided with fine portsthroughout their lengths; of a rotary rim having pockets of a shape toreceive the outer ends of the heads, the rear sides of the latter andrear ends of the pockets being cam-shaped, as and for the purpose setforth.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft having angularextremities, a support for the latter, a core fast on the shaft andhaving internal radial passages, chambers in rear thereof, and outletsin rear of the chambers, all opening through the periphery of the core,an inlet communicating with the passages, an exhaust communicating withthe outlets and cylinder-heads in the chambers; of a rim surrounding thecore and having internal pockets to receive the tips of said heads, acut-off in each passage, casing-plates at the sides of the core, camsthereon for operating said cutoffs, and bolts adj ustably connecting theplates with the rim, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a rotary engine, the combination with a shaft axially adjustableWithin a support, a core fast on the shaft and having substantiallyradial passages, chambers, and outlets, cut-offs in the chambers, andcylinder-heads within and normally projected radially from the chambers;of an inlet communicating with said passages from a source of compressedfluid-supply, a rim surrounding the core and having pockets,casing-plates journaled on the shaft at the sides of the core, bolts ad-3' ustably connecting said plates with the edges of the rim, and cams onthe plates for actuating said cut-offs, as and for the purpose se forth.

5. In a rotary engine, the combination with a fixed core with internalpassages communicating with an inlet and internal pipes communicatingwith an outlet, plates sliding in openings Within said core across itspassages and having ports through their bodies and rounded ends, and arim surrounding the core and having pockets; of casing-plates attachedto the edges of the rim and standing against the sides of the core, andcam-shaped grooves in the inner faces of the plates forming a Wayreceiving the extremities of said perforated plates, as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

DAVID M. BEARING. Witnesses:

MARY HAMPTON LLOYD, JOHN S. GIBONs,

